World Happiness Report

Natalia Maldonado

2025-01-23

Data Sources and Collection Process

Sources

The data used in the World Happiness Report is derived from:
  • Gallup World Poll: Provides survey responses from over 150 countries.
  • World Bank: Supplies economic indicators like GDP per capita adjust for purchasing power parity.
  • World Health Organization (WHO): Offers health-related data, such as life expectancy.

Data Collection Process

  • Surveys: Respondents answer a series of questions about their lives and perceptions. Gallup collects data through face-to-face, telephone, and online surveys, using a probabilistic sampling method to ensure the sample is representative of the population.
  • Economic and Health Data: Collected from global institutions such as the World Bank and WHO to complement survey responses, ensuring a more comprehensive picture of the factors influencing happiness.

Data

Happiness Data
Country year LogGDP SocialSup HealthExp Freedom Generosity Corruption PosAffect NegAffect Region OriginalGDP
Bulgaria 2023 10.272790 0.9349162 66.7 0.7543243 -0.13129753 0.9478562 0.5394388 0.1918842 Central and Eastern Europe + CIS 33403.376
China 2023 9.860808 0.7969825 69.0 0.7933784 -0.03157096 NA 0.7079852 0.2103501 Asia 22137.600
Colombia 2023 9.666558 0.8332084 69.7 0.8234711 -0.14246459 0.8702267 0.7541034 0.2854169 Latin America and Caribbean 18692.385
India 2023 8.919471 0.6328966 61.5 0.8996010 0.12088692 0.7698518 0.6987651 0.3885257 Asia 9160.064
Iran 2023 9.650888 0.8094789 66.9 0.6154001 0.25360298 0.7642531 0.5333526 0.4246328 Middle East and Africa 16154.000
Luxembourg 2023 11.648711 0.8791953 71.7 0.9108133 0.03343977 0.3432108 0.7507005 0.1944953 NorthAmerica + ANZ +Western EU 132846.574
Happiness Score Data
Country Happiness year
Afghanistan 1.7210 2024
Afghanistan 1.8590 2023
Afghanistan 2.4038 2022
Afghanistan 2.5229 2021
Afghanistan 2.5669 2020
Afghanistan 3.2033 2019

Variables

  • Log GDP per Capita: Adjusted economic output per person adjusted for purchasing power parity.

    Source: World Bank.
  • Social Support: % of respondents with reliable friends or family.

    Question: “Do you have family or friends you can count on in times of trouble?”

    Source: Gallup World Poll.
  • Healthy Life Expectancy: Expected years of healthy living.

    Source: World Health Organization (WHO).
  • Freedom to Make Life Choices: % feeling free to make personal decisions.

    Question: “Are you satisfied with your freedom to make life choices?”

    Source: Gallup World Poll.

Variables

  • Generosity: % donating money to charity recently.

    Question: “Did you donate money to charity in the last month?”

    Source: Gallup World Poll.
  • Perceptions of Corruption: Trust in public institutions (inverse).

    Question: “Is corruption widespread in the government or business?”

    Source: Gallup World Poll.
  • Positive Affect: % of respondents who smiled or laughed a lot yesterday.

    Question: “Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday?”

    Source: Gallup World Poll.
  • Negative Affect: % of respondents who experienced sadness, anger, or worry yesterday.

    Question: “Did you experience sadness, anger, or worry yesterday?”

    Source: Gallup World Poll.

Map

Correlation Heatmap between Variables

Top & Bottom 5 Countries by Happiness Score

Comparison of the Happiness Report between Regions

Happiness Score vs GDP per Capita

Happiness Score vs GDP per Capita

Positive Affect by Region

Comparison Happiness Score and Positive Affect

Conclusion

  • Happiness as Multifaceted: Combines factors such as economy, health, social relationships, and daily emotions.
  • Key Insights from Data:
    • Economic Wealth: Important but insufficient for high happiness levels.
    • Standout Regions:
      - Latin America & Southeast Asia: Exceed expectations due to positive emotions and strong social support.
    • Positive Emotions: Significant in certain cultures but not always reflected in overall happiness scores.
  • Personal Observations:
    • Wealthy countries (e.g., Luxembourg, Ireland): Ideal material conditions, yet fewer positive emotions.
    • Latin America: Joy and daily optimism are central to well-being.